Ediorial — Hooray for CUPE

October 23, 2017 ·
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An item arrived in the editor’s emails last week about how members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) had voted to strengthen their bargaining power by changing their strike pay to begin the first day of a strike or lockout.
It was seen as a clear statement that CUPE is fed up with years of cutbacks, increased workloads, stagnant wages and cuts to services.
We grant that none of those problems are pleasant in a working environment, and everyone would like to see them eliminated from theirs.
On the other hand, CUPE members enjoy a certain amount of job security and other benefits that might not be available elsewhere.
Has the membership ever heard of the private sector, where things like bankruptcies and layoffs are common?
We can’t help but compare the good news that has come to CUPE members to the news employees of Sears Canada have had to deal with in the last week.